Schizophrenia Vs. Bipolar Disorder - 972 Words

Schizophrenia vs. Bipolar Disorder By Jenita Johnson October 29, 2015 Schizophrenia vs. Bipolar Disorder There are many mental illnesses that are diagnosed and common amongst adults and children today. The two most common mental illnesses are schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. These illnesses are considered the two most functional psychotic disorders. Schizophrenia is a chronic condition with an increase in severity of its symptoms but always has some background to its symptoms. Bipolar disorder is generally a condition with expectation of a full recovery between episodes. Even though both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have somewhat the same symptoms I believe they are different and schizophrenia is more severe in treatment†¦show more content†¦The positive symptoms that these disorders have in common are hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, paranoia, etc. The negative symptoms of schizophrenia can also resemble that of bipolar disorder these are apathy, extreme emotional withdrawal, low energy, social isolation, lack of affect, etc. These positive and negative symptoms are similar to both schizophrenia and a manic episode. With these similarities there is chance that many patients have been misdiagnosed especially in children they cause years of improper treatment with destructive results. For example the child can be given the wrong medication for a disorder that is not associated with what is really going on with the child. In the article by Stanford University they give an example that â€Å"treating a child who actually has pediatric bipolar disorder with Ritalin for a supposed case of ADHD. Giving such a child a stimulant can lead to mood destabilization.† (Day, 2005). These are the symptoms of bipolar disorder it was formerly known as manic-depression but is a biological disorder of the brain that are characterized by debilitating mood swings. Symptoms fall into two categories mania and depression. The symptoms of mania as explained in the fact sheet by the World Federation of Mental Health are â€Å"Euphoric or extremely irritable mood, distractibility, accelerated and/or delusional thinking, decreased inhibitions, and increased physical activity and